How to Structure SEO/GEO Deliverables: My Personal Tips

I completed a couple of deliverables for some consulting clients this week, and in looking at the finished products, it got me thinking about how my style of deliverables has changed since I was first starting out as an SEO.

In the early days, I thought the more data and insights I put into deliverables, the less likely the client would be to ask me a question that caught me off guard. It was a form of over-preparation on my part. But over the years I began to realize, the best deliverable is one a client can understand and take action from to benefit their business.

That last part is key: benefit their business — it’s the whole reason clients are coming to you for SEO/GEO services. Maybe some clients care about traffic numbers or AI visibility scores. Many will be interested in tracking conversions. But all clients have business goals that they’re directly or indirectly looking for your help with.

With that said, here are some tips for creating deliverables:

1. Focus on the client’s business objective, not SEO/GEO metrics.

Before you start on a deliverable, ask yourself, “How does this deliverable help the client accomplish their business goals?”

Every client will have their own context, whether it’s a local business looking for customers or a publisher trying to increase readership. Take into account the context of the business and let that influence your findings, recommendations, and priorities. Don’t hide behind performance metrics; lead with action items.

Speaking of action items …

2. Make recommendations, not just observations.

The client doesn’t just want to hear about SEO/GEO problems you’ve identified; they want solutions to them.

If a site has duplicate title tags, don’t just report on that. Provide instructions on how to rewrite the title tags, or if the budget allows, rewrite them yourself.

The less interpretation the client has to do, the better.

3. Prioritize recommendations and explain the “why” behind them.

The more immediate business impact an SEO/GEO recommendation has, the higher its priority should be. On top of that, provide an explanation as to why this recommendation exists and has the priority level it does. The last thing you want is a client guessing at what to do or questioning why they should do it.

4. Make deliverables easy to scan with good formatting.

I always bake in a little extra time to my estimates to format the deliverables. Not only do I want them to look professional, but I want the client to easily be able to scan the work and find the key sections most relevant to them.

Personally, I use a logical heading hierarchy (just like on a webpage), bullet points, images, and even emojis. For longer audits, I might include an executive summary or key takeaways section on top. In short, the same best practices for formatting that you’d use for a blog post or product page can apply to client deliverables.

5. Consider who will implement each recommendation.

A lot of clients I work with also have other service providers assisting in the projects, like a web developer, for example. When listing recommendations in a deliverable, I’ll take into account who is going to implement it when it comes to the level of detail and style of my work. I’ll keep the language more basic and visual for clients themselves, while I’ll focus a little more on technical detail for web developers.

A few more parting tips …

Don’t be overly complex. The more experience an SEO/GEO professional has, the simpler they’re generally able to explain complex subjects. That’s why in my earlier years I tended to over-prepare and give elaborate, technical explanations in deliverables, but now I stick to the basics that relate to a client’s business goals.

Be cautious using AI for deliverables. I still create my deliverables by hand and format them that way, as well. I like to have full control, just in case. If you choose to use AI to summarize or format your deliverable, just be sure you thoroughly proof it before sending it out. The last thing you want is an inaccuracy that causes a client to question your abilities or attention to detail.

Make deliverables useful over time. Some clients move faster than others, and it could be months before your recommendations get implemented. Factor that into your prioritization.

Takeaways

In my early years, I thought my SEO/GEO deliverables should demonstrate my expertise, so I overcompensated with detail and jargon. Later on, I realized the purpose of a deliverable is to transfer expertise, with the ultimate goal of benefiting the client’s business. That realization gradually impacted my approach, where I put myself in the client’s shoes before ever starting on a deliverable.

Outro

A deliverable isn’t supposed to demonstrate how much work you did or knowledge you have, but rather it’s supposed to help the client make better decisions.

I hope you’ve found the tips above helpful for your deliverables. If there’s one parting word I can have, it’s to put yourself in the client’s shoes, think about their next steps, and structure your deliverable(s) accordingly.

And if you need guidance with your SEO/GEO strategies (including lending a second eye to deliverables), feel free to contact me. I’m an independent consultant helping brands and agencies.

Until next time, enjoy the vibes:

Thanks for reading. Happy optimizing!

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